Improvement in printing-presses



PATENT OEEIOEr GEORGE r. GORDON, OE RAHWAY, NEwJERsEY.

IMPROVEMENT IN PRINTING-PRESSES.

Specification forming part of Letteis Patent No. 48,049, dated March 3, 1874; application filed January 23, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE P. GORDON, of Itahway, Union county, New Jersey, have invented, made, and applied to use certain improvements in the construction of Printing- Presses; and that the following is a full, clear, and correct description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, making part of this specication, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, in which- Figure l is a side elevation of my improved printing-press, the bed and platen being shown open. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view ot' the same, the bed and platen being shown A in the act of givingan impression.

In the drawing like parts of the invention are indicated by the same letters of reference.

The nature of the present invention consists in combining a bed and platen of a printingpress, so constructed that the bed shall counterbalance the platen and the platen shall counterbalance the bed, to dispense with a separate counter-balance for the bed and for the platen, thus reducing the `cost of manufacture, and producing a machine that can be operated rapidly with the expenditure of little power.

To enable those skilled in the arts to make and use my invention, I will describe its construction and operation.

A shows the frame for supporting the operative parts of the machine, composed of the side pieces made sufficiently strong for the purpose, and constructed together by the stretchers B. C shows the main or driving shaft of the press, held in the frame and provided with a pinion, D, keyed upon one end of it, which pinion gears into the cog-wheel E, secured upon one end of the shaft F, upon the opposite end of which shaft is secured the blank-wheel or collar, G. This shaft F is also passed through the frame, and serves to support the bed H of the press, being passed through the lugs I of the bed. H shows the bed of the press in which the form or types is secured. J shows the platen of the press, constructed in the usual manner, and hung upon a shaft, K, held in the frame A( Lis a shaft passed through the back of the platen, the platen being provided with lugs M through which this shaft is passed.

The cog-wheel E, and blank-wheel or collar G, have inserted in them studs, over which and the ends of the shafts L the ends of the connections N are passed and secured in position. In one of the platen-lugs is cut a cam, 0, in which plays a roller, held upon :a stud secured in one end of the bent lever P, fastened upon a rock-shaft, Q, held in the frame A, while the opposite end of the lever P is connected to the lower end of a connection, R, the upper end of which is. attached to one of the lugs of the bed H.

Such being the construction, the operation maybe thus described: Motion being im parted to the driving-shaft C of the press, the same through the pinion D communicates motion to the cog-wheel E, secured upon the shaft F, upon the opposite end of which shaft is the blank-wheel or collar Gr. As the shaft and cog-wheel and blank-wheel revolve, the platen J, through the connections N, attached as shown, is vibrated from the inclined position it occupies when receiving the sheet to be printed (see Fig. l of the drawing) to the vertical or nearly vertical position necessary to produce an impression. (See Fig. 2 of the drawings.) During this forward movement of the platen J the roller secured upon a studheld in one end of the bent lever P, moving in the cam O, upon the side of the platen J, has4 raised this end of the lever P, thus depressing its Opposite end, to which is attached the lower end of the connection R, the upper end of which is attached to the bed H, and the bed H has been carried down from the position it occupied when the press was open (see Fig. 1 of the drawings) to the vertical or nearly ver tical position necessary to the production of an impression. (See Fig. 2 of the drawings.)

It will be observed that when the bed has reached this position it is stopped by the frame A, and that the roller is held firmly in the cani (so shaped that it shall hold the roller) while the impression is being given, thus holding the bed 'to its work.- rlhe movement of the press continuingafter au impression has been given, the platen vibrates back to its former position, and through the bent lever and connection already described the bed is returned to its former position'.

It will be observed that inconstructing the bed so that it shall counterbalance the vplaten the object is twofold: First, it dispenses with the necessity of employing a heavy counterbalance, the employment of which is detrimental in building, adding to the cost of building, and increasing the liability of breakage of the vpress in transportation; secondly, by throwing up the bed the rollers may have a shorter movement given to them in inking the form than it' the bed remained stationary for such inkin g.

It will further be observed that when the bed is brought into position for the giving of an impression it is held firmly in this position by the bentlever connection and roller playing in the cam at the back of the platen. This is requisite in order that perfect register may be obtained. The throwing up of the bed, as shown, allows the shaft upon which the platen vibrates to be placed nearer the bottom edge of the platen, thus allowing the platen when in position to receive the sheet to assume a' position nearer to the horizontal position, and this with a less throw of the cranks that operate the platen. The bed is thrown far enough for the form to be inked by stationary rollers, but should the inking-rollers be so constructed as to move,` the bed may be thrown a shorter distance, and the inking-rollers be held longer upon the distributing-surface.

Having now set forth my invention, what I claim as new is- 'lhe combination of the bed H, connectingrod R, bent lever P, and cam O, constructed and arranged to operate substantially as described, for the purpose of holding the bed rmly in position, as set forth.

GEO. P. GORDON.

Witnesses:

A. SIDNEY DoANE, WM. HAs'rrNGs. 

